as in winds
an air movement that is blowing toward something (such as a ship or an airplane) as it moves forward
Stiff headwinds caused the flight to take longer than expected.
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Recent Examples of headwinds
Despite staff layoffs affecting about 300 employees, industry analysts say Condé Nast still faces high pressure to continue restructuring and invest in digital innovation to survive long term headwinds.
—
Gemma Allen, Forbes.com, 4 Sep. 2025
What's Next The government faces steep socioeconomic and cultural headwinds that have frustrated other nations, and whether ending the two-child policy will make a significant difference on the trend remains uncertain.
—Micah McCartney, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Sep. 2025
The sudden shutdown comes as another ominous sign of significant struggles in the entertainment eco-system, particularly in Hollywood where the economy has faced headwinds ranging from natural disasters to labor strikes.
—William Earl, Variety, 4 Sep. 2025
And while a favorable ruling for Google parent Alphabet is soothing some of Tuesday's wounds, the antitrust decision does nothing to ease the headwinds facing investors heading into the fall.
—Fred Imbert,nick Wells, CNBC, 3 Sep. 2025
There’s also been a revolving door of chief executive officers, activist pressures and macroeconomic headwinds.
—David Moin, Footwear News, 3 Sep. 2025
Historically, the party in power loses seats in Congress as voters blame them for the economy or other political headwinds.
—Rachel Schilke, The Washington Examiner, 28 Aug. 2025
Along with the legal battles faced by the Cherokee Nation, Marshall wrote, the tribe also faced political headwinds from Pope County citizens who opposed any casino.
—Arkansas Online, 28 Aug. 2025
Continue reading … -- POLITICS TOP ‘DOGE’ – Elon Musk says government cuts are necessary but faces headwinds, according to FOX poll.
—Fox News, 21 Mar. 2025
Gemma Allen, Forbes.com, 4 Sep. 2025
What's Next The government faces steep socioeconomic and cultural headwinds that have frustrated other nations, and whether ending the two-child policy will make a significant difference on the trend remains uncertain.
—Micah McCartney, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Sep. 2025
The sudden shutdown comes as another ominous sign of significant struggles in the entertainment eco-system, particularly in Hollywood where the economy has faced headwinds ranging from natural disasters to labor strikes.
—William Earl, Variety, 4 Sep. 2025
And while a favorable ruling for Google parent Alphabet is soothing some of Tuesday's wounds, the antitrust decision does nothing to ease the headwinds facing investors heading into the fall.
—Fred Imbert,nick Wells, CNBC, 3 Sep. 2025
There’s also been a revolving door of chief executive officers, activist pressures and macroeconomic headwinds.
—David Moin, Footwear News, 3 Sep. 2025
Historically, the party in power loses seats in Congress as voters blame them for the economy or other political headwinds.
—Rachel Schilke, The Washington Examiner, 28 Aug. 2025
Along with the legal battles faced by the Cherokee Nation, Marshall wrote, the tribe also faced political headwinds from Pope County citizens who opposed any casino.
—Arkansas Online, 28 Aug. 2025
Continue reading … -- POLITICS TOP ‘DOGE’ – Elon Musk says government cuts are necessary but faces headwinds, according to FOX poll.
—Fox News, 21 Mar. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for headwinds
winds
Noun
-
Kiko mostly bypassed the Hawaiian islands with its fiercest winds, as so many storms have before, and will instead fade off into the Pacific Ocean over the vast western end of the island chain that remains a mystery to many.—
Dinah Voyles Pulver,
USA Today,
11 Sep. 2025
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As the winds whipped across the seaside links-style layout, the competition heated up.—
Tim Corlett,
Forbes.com,
11 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Headwinds.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/headwinds. Accessed 11 Sep. 2025.
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